March 10, 2010

The Olympics of Stamping Champions: Gold, Silver, & Bronze Medal Winners

The gods of music are summoned. All around us, a chorus of trumpets. In one bright, glorious resonance of sound, their brassy tones penetrate the silence, as joyful and as exuberant as children playing in a field. Immediately, we recognize its undeniable theme. The Olympic theme. It quickens a shiver, as somewhere deep inside we know we are about to witness history.

Stepping up to the podium, fifteen winners in a field of 450 highly qualified competitors. They have tirelessly trained by spending hours and hours in their craft spaces--building their skills, improving their techniques, and testing their limits. They have wowed the judge with their stamping skills, their design ability, their execution, their risk-taking, and their creativity.

They are the champions in our Olympics of Stamping challenge, friends. Please offer them a round of well-deserved and hearty applause. A cheer or two would do nicely as well.

In the Birthday category, the bronze medal winner is:

Erica Messervy

Moxie Fab Alert:
I love this simply stamped big fat cupcake. For me, the wow-factor comes in the pairing of those colorful stripes and sprinkles with the neutrals in the cupcake and the background paper. Moxie fab!

...the silver medal winner is:

Silke Ledlow

Moxie Fab Alert: The balance in this card is divine. The brilliant color combination in the cake steals the show (as it should), but it's balanced perfectly by the white background, the black accents, and the way she's scored the left hand side of the background which helps to balance the ribbon on the right side. The black flower is perfectly placed in the "sweet spot" of the card making me want to gobble it up entirely. Delicious!

...and the gold medal winner is:

Krysten Ng

Moxie Fab Alert: Not only is this a g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s card, but it's technique-y as well. Krysten has used "stamp kissing" on the flowers which adds texture and all-around moxie fabulousness to an expertly executed card!

In the Love category, the bronze medal winner is:

Michelle Mathey

Moxie Fab Alert: I love the way Michelle has stamped the monster background, alternating and staggering those cute little guys. I also love the way she's pulled out the main monster as the focal point because it accentuates the sentiment, "one of a kind."

...the silver medal winner is:

Carly

Moxie Fab Alert: The focal point in this card is unmistakable--a heart surrounded by cute typography in a color scheme that is fresh and fun. I also love the way Carly has embossed a dotted pattern on the bottom half of the card which helps ground the focal point, eliminating any chance that it might feel like it's "floating." AND she's echoed those dots by piercing the petals of the flowers giving the card wonderful continuity and flow!

...and the gold medal winner is:

Scrappy A (Alicia)

Moxie Fab World: Talk about trendy! We've got a trendy image in this retro seamstress, a trendy technique in stamping on patterned paper, a trendy way to call attention to a focal point by placing a shape offset and behind, a trendy color combination, and a trendy accent in that puffy "love you" heart. Put that all together and what do you get? Moxie fab at its best!

In the Season's Greetings category, the bronze medal winner is:

Katie Renz

Moxie Fab Alert: The hand-stamped background shines in this card! Katie has allowed it to speak completely for itself by treating the sentiment, ribbon, and the bottom border so simply. Yummy!

...the silver medal winner is:

Tracey

Moxie Fab Alert: This beautiful card is entirely stamped. From the background to the focal point, Tracey has created movement, depth, balance, and flow with a skill and execution that I admire tremendously.

...and the gold medal winner is:

Kristin Tierney

Moxie Fab Alert: The colors in this card leave me with my jaw on the floor. The soft shades of yellow, green, and blue with the white embossing and sparkle make me think that these flakes might have fallen through a pastel rainbow. Even Kristin admits that the color combination was out-of-the-box, but girl, you nailed it as far as I'm concerned!

In the Thank You category, the bronze medal winner is:

NinaB

Moxie Fab Alert: Not only is this card beautifully stamped, but again, its balance is something rare and wonderful. The focal point is placed on the diagonal rather than on the square, which offsets the vertical background perfectly. The pearls at the bottom both ground the card and echo the pearls at the top of the focal point. And the butterfly and the bow offset one another in delicious harmony. Besides that? It's absolutely and unequivocally gorgeous!

The silver medal winner is:

Kara

Moxie Fab Alert: Speaking of gorgeous, oh my. When I first opened this card up in my browser, my heart started beating much, much faster. The flowers are amazing, aren't they? The way they're colored, the way they're layered, they way they're turned up to give them extra texture. And again, balance. The focal point on the left is balanced by the sentiment, while the bow ties them both together.

...and the gold medal winner is:

Lala aka Missbliss

Moxie Fab Alert: It's punny! It's well-executed! It's sweet! It's fun! It's super stampy! It's quirky! It's moxie fab!

And last but certainly not least, in the Thinking of You category, the bronze medal winner is:

Mariana Grigsby

Moxie Fab Alert: This card has some serious wow-factor. First you see that punch of a color scheme. Then you see that beautiful damask focal point. And then? Then you see that she's pulled a heart out of said beautiful damask focal point. And then? Then you say, "Wow!"

Karen Baker

Moxie Fab Alert: Speaking of "wow" factor, this card has it goin' on as well. "Wow" in the color scheme, "wow" in the technique she's used to reverse-silhouette those flowers, "wow" in the balance of the card (good things come in "three's"), "wow" in the font that perfectly matches the style of the card, and "wow" in that ribbon and those three little rhinestones that top it all off. I'm just sayin'. Wow.

Lea L.

Moxie Fab Alert: Um. Yeah. Wow. Super awesome gradient stamping. Super awesome echoing of gradient color in the rhinestones at the bottom. Super awesome simple treatment of the sentiment allowing the rest of it to shine, shine, shine. Oh my wow, Lea! Oh my wow!

Congratulations again to these winners, certainly, but I'd also like to thank the other 435 of you who gave this challenge a go. I could have easily chosen ten winners in each category without hesitation. As I looked at each card, I was so impressed with your passion for stamping, the fun you were having, and the joy that this craft brings you. Thanks for sharing it all with me and the rest of the Moxie Fab World!

Now friends, the Olympics of Stamping may be over, but the Paper Crafts Stamping Royalty competition is just warming up. I would just love it if every single one of you sent in your stamped card(s) for this challenge to this contest. Entries must be postmarked by March 24. Not only do you have a chance to be published in our November/December 2010 issue, but you also have a chance to win a prize package worth over $250. What have you got to lose? If you were brave enough to post your card for this challenge to your blog, certainly you're brave enough to let us humble editors take a look at your work. I know, right?

Also, I can't stress enough how much we'd love to see your work come through our submissions process. Whether you are a stamper or a non-stamper, we'd love to see your creative approaches to our calls. You can always see what we're looking for by bookmarking this link to our website. In fact, we've got a super fun call out right now. Again I say:

What have you got to lose?

OK. I'm stepping off my soap box now. Podiums. Soap boxes. We're certainly feeling elevated here in the Moxie Fab World today now aren't we?

Winners, you must send me your addresses in an email at cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com with "Olympics of Stamping Challenge Winner" in the subject line in order to claim your prize. I can't wait to hear from all fifteen of you!

Friends, leave these ladies some love by midnight MST on Sunday, March 14 and I'll rustle up a yummy prize for one random winner!

Huggin' all y'all in the Kiss & Cry section,

~Cath

PS Don't despair, the Olympics of Stamping Challenge may be officially wrapped up, but there's still the Diggin' on Doilies & Lace Challenge AND the Paper Crafts Babies & Brides Gallery Challenge. Click on the links to challenge yourself even more!

March 9, 2010

Tuesday Trigger: Lovely on the Green

Of course I was looking for something green for this week's Trigger, friends. With St. Patty's Day just around the corner, I thought you'd have some moxie fab fun with this gorgeous image from Alicia Thelin:


Alicia says: These green toile chairs spoke to me, saying, "Come and have a seat, relax, you don't have to clean up after anyone here". :) So I thought it would make a perfect inspiration piece for a card for my mom. My favorite color is green, as is hers, so it was a perfect match.


Cath says: Lovely, no? I hope you have some festive fun with this one for sure, friends!

Oh, but before I go, let's not forget our Trigger Targets from last week's Tuesday Trigger brought to us by Kim Wilson. Congratulations go to these ladies for rockin' it out: Diana Albright, Heidi Van Laar, Latisha Yoast, Lisa Forsythe, and Regan D'Agostino!

Thanks to everyone who gave it a go! All y'all just continue to inspire and amaze me!

So, link 'em up, friends! If you're new to the Tuesday Trigger, let me 'splain. Create a project that is inspired by the Trigger that Alicia has provided and post it to your blog. Then, click on the title of your blog post, copy the URL at the top, and link it using Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog, post your project to this flickr group and link it to Mr. Linky as soon as you've grabbed the URL. Easy peasy and TONS o' fun!

Be sure and tune in tomorrow when I'll have the winners of the Olympics of Stamping Challenge. Gold, silver, or bronze, we'll have 15 champions on the podium!

Feeling lovely on the green,

~Cath

PS I'm always looking for inspiring triggers to post each Tuesday. If you're interested in giving it a try, email me at tuesdaytrigger@gmail.com. Send me your Trigger with the URL where it can be found online, an image of the project you created based on the Trigger, and a blurb that states how and why it inspired you. Who knows? Maybe you'll be next week's featured designer! Wouldn't that be cool?

Winnerday!

Ready? Set! Scroll!

The winners of the Material Girl Collection from Cosmo Cricket in last week's Moxie Monday post are:
Marla who said...

What fun. My mom sewed all our clothes when we were little, but now I actually sew a lot more than she does (if you count paper)!
and Ngan Raskin who said...

I just love this Cosmo Cricket collection! LOVE IT! My mom and sisters and I used to sew everything when I was young--my mom and sisters by machine, and I by hand--I was only sewing doll clothes! Thanks for a chance to win!

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who left comments last week!

Winners, in order to claim your prize you must send me your addresses in an email to me at cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com with the prize you won in the subject line. I can't wait to hear from you!

I love Winnerday,

~Cath

March 8, 2010

Moxie Monday: Lullaby Lane from Webster's Pages

I'm not gonna lie. I've had "baby" on the brain.

Not that I have any plans to have more of my own whatsoever, certainly. (My youngest is 21!) But with the birth of Brandy's baby boy a mere three short weeks ago, the recent news that one of my best friends is going to be a grandma for the first time, and a dear friend who is about to adopt her first at the tender age of 43, well, I've been dreaming in lullabies for quite some time now.

To top it all off, there's a baby feature in the March issue of Paper Crafts magazine (do you have your copy yet?), and well, what I'm trying to say is, I've got "baby" on the brain.

Lullaby Lane from Webster's Pages is just what I need. It channels all my bouncing baby thoughts into one place. For it is soft. It is sweet. It is vintage. And it is delicious. Check it:

























Who knows? Maybe now you've got "baby" on the brain as well! Tell me what you love the most by midnight MST on Sunday, March 14 and I'll draw two random winners to receive this moxie fab collection.

Loving on Lullaby Lane,

~Cath

PS Today is the last day to enter the Olympics of Stamping Challenge, friends, so load up your stampy goodness. The category with the fewest entries so far? Season's Greetings. Could be a good place to get a leg in. I'm just sayin'. Click here for all the deets. It's also the last day to submit to this week's Tuesday Trigger. Hope you've got some time to squeeze these in! Later!

March 5, 2010

Five (x4) for Friday: Signs of Spring

If you're not seeing many signs of spring yet in your neck-of-the-woods, maybe these will bring you some springlike cheer:

Wonderland Tea Party Pinwheels by rule42 on etsy

Wire Drop Shelf from Urban Outfitters

Sunshine Floret Bobby Pin Hair Clip from adoreadornments on etsy

Springtime in Paris Cherry Blossom Wreath from bloomingcouture on etsy

Reproduction Feedsack 1930's Lap Quilt by sweetjane on etsy

REmovable Wall Stickers from contemporarydreams on etsy

Primitive Robin Eggs from northwindstar on etsy

Pink, Indubitably Poms from PomLove

Pink Rose Slipper from Country Living

Pearl Chain and Ribbon Multi-Strand Necklace from Ann Taylor

Orange and White Grass Embroidered Table Runner from kainkain on etsy

Lovely Fine Art Photograph by HeyZee on etsy

In Bloom Clutch from Ann Taylor

I Love Macarons Book by Hisako Ogita via Urban Outfitters

French Rose Pillow by dedeetsyshop on etsy

Fondant Cupcake Toppers by clineffsconfections on etsy

Ferris Wheel by HeyZee on etsy

Felt Ornament Decoration from urbanpaisley on etsy

Duck Cookie Favors from HolidayCandyLane on etsy

Calico Easter Eggs from disgustedcats on etsy

Have a moxie fabulous weekend friends,

~Cath

PS You only have until Monday to crank out those mostly-stamped cards for the Olympics of Stamping! Click here for all the deets and to load 'em up!